Weapon mounts, such as gun mounts, can be used to secure weapons to fixed supports. Weapon mounts can free the operator of the weapon from physically supporting the weapon, which would be physically impossible in many situations because of the substantial weight of the weapon. Weapon mounts can include those where the muzzle of the weapon is permanently fixed in place, those where the muzzle of the weapon is intermittently fixed in place, and those where the muzzle of the weapon is freely movable in one or more planes to allow for aiming.
Some weapons systems, such as machine guns of a sufficient caliber, generate substantial recoil force during operation. It has been estimated, for example, that a 30 caliber machine gun may generate 1200 pounds of force or more with each round that is fired. Some of this force is directed vertically and can cause the muzzle to climb with each successive round fired, a phenomenon commonly known as “muzzle hop”.
Skilled weapon operators can reposition the muzzle of a weapon after it has been disrupted by recoil. However, repositioning can take valuable time and the muzzle may not end up in the same place it started leading to errors in accuracy on follow-up shots.
Many targets are not stationary. In addition, the platform on which the weapon is carried, such as a humvee, tank, helicopter, or the like, is generally mobile. For these reasons, there is a need to frequently reposition the muzzle to stay aimed on a given target.